The invention relates to a foldable wheel chair, especially for invalids. Such wheel chairs normally comprise a number of components forming a base, a supporting structure for the seat, and a backrest as well as a seat.
German Patent Publication (DE-AS) No. 2,637,478 discloses a foldable wheel chair which is folded in a direction toward its central plane of symmetry. Such central plane of symmetry extends vertically through the middle of the entire chair. In the prior art chair the brackets for the backrest are inserted into a tubular member of the supporting structure. This type of folding is possible only because the seat as well as the backrest are made of a foldable material, such as cloth. Additionally, it is necessary to first remove the backrest and to pull out a holding pin prior to the insertion of the brackets for the backrest. Another drawback of this type of prior art wheel chair is seen in that it is suitable only for riding and that it cannot be used by the invalid in situations where a vertically adjustable seat would be desirable, for example, for placing the wheel chair over a toilet.